The Roberto Bolle and Friends Gala: A Preview

Mark your calendars the "Roberto Bolle and Friends Gala" is coming to New York on September 17th, 2013. Italian danseur, Roberto Bolle, currently a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre and La Scala Ballet Company, has put together a show that will feature the best ballet dancers on the scene to take place at the New York City Center.

Roberto Bolle (pic by Riccardo Chioni)

The event, which officially is included in the agenda of the 2013-The Year of italian Culture in the United States is sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Italian Consulate General in New York, the Ministry of Cultural Assets and Activities, and the Institute for Foreign Trade (ICE), was announced with a special presentation at the Italian Consulate General in New York.


“I am proud to be the art director of the Roberto Bolle and Friends Gala, because I think it perfectly represents the culture and the beauty of the Italian people and of my country,” Roberto Bolle said. “I am happy to export it to many places in the world, including the US. I trust that New Yorkers will enjoy the dance performances as much as I enjoyed creating them. We will perform something very Italian, Excelsior.”

Excelsior is a tribute to the scientific and industrial progress of the 19th century, from the electric light to the telegraph, steam engine, and Suez Canal. As such it foreshadows the Futurism movement.
In the newly unified Italy of post-Risorgimento, the wonders of inventions such as the steamboat, or Volta's pile, the titanic works of the Mont Cenis tunnel or the Suez channel had to convey hope, all evoked in the spectacular ballet with monumental special effects.

This project at the New York City Center was implemented thanks to Acqua di Parma. Indeed, Acqua di Parma, an icon of the finest Italian lifestyle whose mission is to promote Italian excellence in craftsmanship and the arts is the sole patron of the event. The company has already supported the Roberto Bolle Gala in Piazza San Marco in Venice, in cooperation with FAI.

“I am more than proud to support Italian culture, and particularly Roberto Bolle, one of the world's greatest dancers and the undisputed Ambassador of the highest artistic and cultural expression of our country,” Gabriella Scarpa, president of Acqua di Parma, said. “Dance is pure poetry, utter beauty, and the talent of Roberto Bolle is a great gift to all those that will enjoy seeing him dance. A true reason for pride for Italy and for us, who decided to support him in this great debut, not just as sponsors of his New York Gala, but also with a special chapter dedicated to him in our book La Nobiltà del Fare, focusing on Italian excellence in craftsmanship and the arts which enjoys the highest Institutional patronage and is included in full right in the agenda of Italy in 2013- The Year of Italian Culture in the United States.”

Indeed the event at the Consulate also involved a brief video presentation of the book, published by Electa, which features 23 stories selected from the most significant examples of italian creativity, recounted through photographs specially taken by Giovanni Gastel. Together with the photographs, there are some texts written by Andrea Kerbaker to lend a voice to the protagonists, who include Pinin Brambilla Barcilon (restoration expert known mostly for her work on The Last Supper), Renzo Piano (architect), Marco Magnifico (Executive Vice President of FAI), Mimmo Paladino (sculptor, painter and printmaker), Uto Ughi (violinist and conductor), as well as Maurizio Baglini (pianist), Daniele Gatti (conductor), Stefano Conia (violin maker), the Marinelli brothers (church bells makers), Luca Litrico (maker of haute couture for men) and many others. Of course Acqua di Parma and Roberto Bolle are also featured. Acqua di Parma has been a leading player on the luxury market for over 100 years, producing a series of masterpieces of traditional Italian craftsmanship. “With the book and our support for the arts,” Scarpa concluded, “we want to show young Italians that there is a future in the arts and culture. So, do not despair.”

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La Nobiltà del Fare will be previewed on July 2nd at La Fenice in Venice and it will be released in New York on September 17th after the Gala.

Gala tickets start at $25  >>>

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